From Months to Minutes: How Lalo Achieved Board-Ready Forecasts in Days, Not Months

ABOUT

Company: Lalo 

Distribution Models: DTC, Retail, Marketplace ‍

Use Cases: Real-Time Scenario Planning, Board and Investor Reporting, Operational Efficiency

Company Size: ~70 FTE

‍THE CHALLENGE

Lalo co-founders Gregory Davidson and Michael Wieder were in the middle of a critical phase: gearing up for a major fundraise while trying to lock a budget and prove a path to profitability. But the finance engine behind those decisions was buckling.

They were working with an outsourced FP&A team that owned the “master” financial model. And Gregory and Michael were stuck in forecasting purgatory. Every model update became an exercise in chaos—version control nightmares, weeks of back-and-forth emails, and constant confusion about which changes were actually implemented.

"It would just add weeks to figuring out the answer," explains Gregory. "By the time all those different communications happened, it was probably months."

The real cost? Twenty to thirty hours per founder for each major scenario, often working late into the night after the kids went to bed. The founders couldn't tinker with their own model without creating catastrophic version control issues. And when the board asked for a down-case scenario—like when they challenged an aggressive revenue projection—the clock started ticking on another multi-week ordeal.

The breaking point: knowing they needed to either keep grinding through the pain or make what Davidson calls "a silly hiring decision" that would be "even more costly and painful."

THE SOLUTION

Drivepoint gave Lalo's founders something radical: the ability to actually work in their own model. Together. In real-time.

"Michael and I can get on the phone and be looking at the same exact model together, watching each other make updates," Davidson explains. No more spreadsheet ping-pong. No more wondering whose changes got lost in translation.

The transformation was immediate:

• Live collaboration replaced email chains
• Scenarios that once took months now take 3-4 days
• Board presentations now pull directly from Drivepoint with professional visualizations already built
• The Fractional CFO can focus on high-level oversight and strategic guidance instead of low-leverage spreadsheet maintenance.

When the board challenged their base case, Lalo responded with precision: 

THE RESULTS

Speed isn't just convenience—it's decision-making power.

In February 2025, Lalo hit their first EBITDA-positive month. While Davidson credits multiple factors, he's clear about Drivepoint's role: "We have made swifter decisions because of Drivepoint. We were better able to get a quick sense of what default alive looks like, how we ensure profitability this year."

The metrics tell the story:

• Time to scenario: From months → 3-4 days (97% reduction)
• Founder hours per forecast: From 40-60 hours combined → Minimal
• Board readiness: From weeks of prep → Same-day turnaround
• Decision velocity: From "probably months" → Days

Beyond time savings, Drivepoint enabled a new level of financial agility. When the board requested both a conservative and aggressive growth scenario, Lalo presented both—with full detail and professional visualizations. "Within three to four days, we were able to re-roll that entire forecast. We barely even needed FP&A help," Davison shares. The board signed off within a day.

The bottom line: Lalo moved from drowning in spreadsheets to leading with confidence. No finance degree required.

"We're not FP&A people, but we know enough of how we want to do it... now Michael and I can literally go in and just mess around and then know that we can validate this, create structure around it, and ultimately update it into our regular plan. From a collaboration standpoint, it was game-changing for us."

— Gregory Davidson, Co-Founder, Lalo

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